England’s battle to avoid a Women’s Ashes whitewash began in disappointing fashion as they were rolled for 170 on day one of the pink-ball Test against Australia in Melbourne.
Nat Sciver-Brunt top-scored with 51 from 129 balls but no other player passed 25 as England slumped against spin again, just as they had done during their ODI and T20 woes, with Alana King claiming 4-45 as she bowled 23 overs in a row from the Shane Warne End.
Australia closed on 56-1 from 22 overs in reply to trail by 114 with Test debutant Georgia Voll (12) caught behind off Lauren Bell under the lights, leaving Phoebe Litchfield (20no) and Annabel Sutherland (24no) to take the hosts through to stumps at the MCG.
England are 12-0 down on points after six straight white-ball defeats – they were skittled for just 90 in the final T20 – with Australia looking to become the first side to secure a 16-0 sweep since the Women’s Ashes adopted the multi-format programme in 2013.
Questions have been raised about the tourists’ athleticism and ability to perform under pressure and also the futures of captain Heather Knight and head coach Jon Lewis.
Sciver-Brunt spoke about “blocking out the noise” and bounced back from a quiet T20 leg of the tour, when her best knock was 22, as she became the first woman to score at least one fifty in six consecutive Tests – but she received little support.
Tailender Ryana MacDonald-Gay dug in after being dropped on four and finished 15 not out from 66 balls once No 11 Bell (7) was run out, ending a dogged 10th-wicket stand of 13 from 49 deliveries.
England falter with the bat again
England found themselves 47-3 after being inserted with Maia Bouchier (2) edging former Ireland seamer Kim Garth behind to wicketkeeper Beth Mooney in the first over.
Garth also took England’s third wicket, pinning Knight (25) lbw, after Tammy Beaumont – back in the team after sitting out the T20 series – was trapped leg before for eight by Darcie Brown in the fourth over.
Sciver-Brunt and Sophia Dunkley (21 off 71) united at 47-3 and proceeded to add 50 off 123 balls before Dunkley chipped back to King for a routine caught and bowled.
Danni Wyatt-Hodge (22) was smartly caught by Litchfield at silly point off King, before a befuddled Amy Jones (1) was bowled by off-spinner Ash Gardner playing back to a straight delivery and Sophie Ecclestone (1) hacked King to cover second ball.
Sciver-Brunt had a scare on 44 when she edged King to Alyssa Healy at slip, only for the third umpire to rule that the fit-again Australia captain had not got her fingers underneath the ball, but she was cleaned up by the same bowler early in the final session.
Leg-spinner Alana King took four wickets at the MCG
Lauren Filer (8) gloved a short ball from Brown behind on nought but Australia did not go for the review, probably feeling the delivery had only struck the England player’s forearm.
It was a blunder that only cost the Southern Stars eight runs with Filer top-edging Brown behind to be ninth out.
Dean left out as England pick extra batter
England named seamer MacDonald-Gay in their XI with Kate Cross still not over the back spasm she sustained on the all-format tour of South Africa prior to Christmas.
MacDonald-Gay – who claimed two wickets on Test debut in December – is joined in the pace attack by Filer, Bell and Sciver-Brunt, with Ecclestone providing the spin.
Dunkley was preferred to off-spinning all-rounder Charlie Dean as England opted for the extra batter.
Australia’s Darcie Brown (left) and Alyssa Healy (right) during the Women’s Ashes Test
Australia welcomed back skipper Healy after she missed the T20s due to a calf issue.
The 34-year-old is playing as a specialist batter at No 4 with Mooney sliding down from her opening berth to No 6 after taking the gloves in the first Women’s Test to be held at the MCG since 1949.
‘England lacking belief with the bat’
Former England all-rounder Georgia Elwiss, speaking on TNT Sports about the side’s batting struggles:
“I think a lot of it is a lack of confidence and belief in their own ability.
“We have seen England score runs before, we know they are a good side. But they are not in any sort of form at the moment and against a world-class Australia bowling line-up there is no let up.”
England captain Heather Knight was out for 25 on day one in Melbourne
Former England fast bowler Steven Finn, speaking on TNT Sports:
“England have struggled against high-quality wrist spin across all formats in this series and King tweaked her way to four wickets. She bowled brilliantly, controlled the scoring rate and was playful with how she used drift and flight.”
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